Social Entrepreneurship and Neoliberalism

Making Money While Doing Good

Carolina Bandinelli

Contemporary Western societies seem to be marked by a revival of ethics: virtually every actor claims to be doing something ‘good’, or even to be willing to ‘change the world’. Social innovation, sharing economy and ethical business are just few of the tags attached to this manifold cultural trend, which is indicative of the attempt to reintegrate ethical responsibility with economic conduct. But how can entrepreneurship be redefined as the best way to express one’s will to change society? How can people decide to actualise their desire to change how things are by means of a business? Social Entrepreneurship and Neoliberalism: Making Money While Doing Good tackles these questions, offering a critical yet empathetic account of the lifeworld of young social entrepreneurs in London and Milan.

Carolina Bandinelli is Assistant Professor in Media and Creative Industries at the Centre for Cultural & Media Policy Studies, University of Warwick.

Chapter I. The rise of social entrepreneurship

Chapter II. Neoliberalism and the entrepreneurialisation of the self

Chapter III. Becoming a social entrepreneur

Chapter IV. The good, the bad and the millennials: the ethical inward turn

Chapter V. Flawed re-enchantment: finding the political in neoliberal societies.

Conclusion. Future after future: social entrepreneurs and the changemaker generation

Prepare to be surprised, intellectually inspired and entertained, all at the same time. Bandinelli's highly original book represents a landmark in the studies of the social enterprise by offering a timely analysis of the under-examined practices and subjectivities of young social entrepreneurs, who believe that they can "change the world" precisely by embracing entrepreneurialism. Bandinelli places the figure of the social entrepreneur firmly at the centre of contemporary neoliberal capitalism's contradictions, thus shedding compelling light on the complex and even troubling ethical and political circumstances we all live in. — Federica Frabetti, Senior Lecturer in Communication, Media and Culture, Oxford Brookes University

This is an important and marvellously original work. Bandinelli is an outstanding ethnographer and writer, she also tackles questions here which are at the forefront of the modern work society. Drawing on sociology and cultural studies this book makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of social entrepreneurship.

— Angela McRobbie, Professor of Communications, Goldsmiths University of London

Social Entrepreneurship and Neoliberalism

Making Money While Doing Good

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Summary

Summary

Contemporary Western societies seem to be marked by a revival of ethics: virtually every actor claims to be doing something ‘good’, or even to be willing to ‘change the world’. Social innovation, sharing economy and ethical business are just few of the tags attached to this manifold cultural trend, which is indicative of the attempt to reintegrate ethical responsibility with economic conduct. But how can entrepreneurship be redefined as the best way to express one’s will to change society? How can people decide to actualise their desire to change how things are by means of a business? Social Entrepreneurship and Neoliberalism: Making Money While Doing Good tackles these questions, offering a critical yet empathetic account of the lifeworld of young social entrepreneurs in London and Milan.

Carolina Bandinelli is Assistant Professor in Media and Creative Industries at the Centre for Cultural & Media Policy Studies, University of Warwick.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter I. The rise of social entrepreneurship

Chapter II. Neoliberalism and the entrepreneurialisation of the self

Chapter III. Becoming a social entrepreneur

Chapter IV. The good, the bad and the millennials: the ethical inward turn

Chapter V. Flawed re-enchantment: finding the political in neoliberal societies.

Conclusion. Future after future: social entrepreneurs and the changemaker generation

Reviews

Reviews

Prepare to be surprised, intellectually inspired and entertained, all at the same time. Bandinelli's highly original book represents a landmark in the studies of the social enterprise by offering a timely analysis of the under-examined practices and subjectivities of young social entrepreneurs, who believe that they can "change the world" precisely by embracing entrepreneurialism. Bandinelli places the figure of the social entrepreneur firmly at the centre of contemporary neoliberal capitalism's contradictions, thus shedding compelling light on the complex and even troubling ethical and political circumstances we all live in. — Federica Frabetti, Senior Lecturer in Communication, Media and Culture, Oxford Brookes University

This is an important and marvellously original work. Bandinelli is an outstanding ethnographer and writer, she also tackles questions here which are at the forefront of the modern work society. Drawing on sociology and cultural studies this book makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of social entrepreneurship.

— Angela McRobbie, Professor of Communications, Goldsmiths University of London